Chelsea’s Osimhen move imminent as Blues add Casadei to deal

Chelsea are reportedly close to agreeing a stunning deal for Victor Osimhen, which would involve two players heading to Napoli in exchange, reports mirror.co.uk.

The Blues have been hunting for a new striker all summer and have stepped up their efforts to sign Osimhen after a move for Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion collapsed at the 11th hour.
 
Osimhen, 25, has asked to leave Napoli, who are eager to sign Romelu Lukaku as his successor. Consequently, Chelsea are trying to use the Belgian as a bargaining chip to reduce Osimhen’s price tag, thought to be around £100 million.

However, Lukaku isn’t the only player Chelsea have proposed to Napoli, midfielder Cesare Casadei is reportedly now involved in the talks. According to The Sun, the West London club could spend just £39 million on Osimhen, with Lukaku and Casadei moving in the opposite direction as part of the deal.  

Napoli manager Antonio Conte is eager to reunite with Lukaku, who he previously managed at Inter Milan. The forward is training with Chelsea’s reserves while his future hangs in the balance. The Blues are keen to offload his £325,000-a-week salary but have been holding out for a £37m bid – a sum that will have been used to negotiate down the fee in the Osimhen discussions.

Lukaku’s imminent exit isn’t a shock, but that isn’t the case for fellow potential makeweight Casadei. The 21-year-old Italian was one of the first signings of the Todd Boehly era and was tipped to make a significant impact in west London. He had previously excelled in Inter Milan’s academy and was once touted by Maurizio Viscidi as potentially “better than Nicolo Barella.”

However, his performances in England haven’t been quite as impressive, whether through sporadic appearances for Chelsea, or during loan spells in the Championship. His rumoured involvement in the Osimhen deal indicates that Chelsea’s hopes of him becoming a top player have faded.

This is despite the club recalling him halfway through his loan spell at Leicester last season, believing he could make an impact on the first team.  Former Blues manager, Mauricio Pochettino, admitted he had great hopes for Casadei, informing Chelsea of his “great potential.” However, the club seems to have reversed its stance by offering him to Napoli.

Casadei made 25 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes, who were managed by current Chelsea boss, Enzo Maresca, but has only played 11 times for Chelsea. Maresca is a fan of the box-to-box midfielder and praised him multiple times last season.

However, with players like Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Carney Chukwuemeka ahead of him in the pecking order, the Blues boss appears to have accepted that it might be best for him to move on, despite his potential. Lukaku has reportedly agreed personal terms with Napoli, accepting a significant pay cut. However, the same cannot be said for Osimhen and Chelsea.

The Nigerian star reportedly signed a hefty £210,000-a-week contract in December last year and is hesitant to take a salary reduction. Chelsea, on the other hand, have a strict wage structure to consider, with only three of their current players (Lukaku, Reece James, and Raheem Sterling ) earning over the £200,000-a-week threshold. These contracts were all agreed before the club’s wage structure was altered in late 2022.

As a result, if Osimhen refuses to accept a pay cut, Chelsea will be forced to either break their structure or cancel the deal. However, if they do sign him, it will push the club’s summer spending over the £200 million mark.

It would also mean that under Boehly, the two-time Champions League winners have splashed out an astonishing £1.13 billion on players in just over two years. That being said, PSG and Arsenal are also keeping a close eye on the situation and could still compete with Chelsea for Osimhen’s signature.